God's Chosen Revised
by Humbly Interpreting
Summary: She glanced down the page to see doodles of Red Hood shooting Dick/Batman and had to roll her eyes. Sometimes Jason was too obvious. However, this time wasn't exactly the same.
1. In the Beginning

God's Chosen

Okay so I have a very strange class load this semester. I have a Bible literature class and a sociology of lifecycles so its not surprising that I was in class and zoned out. While I stared into nothing BAM this came to mind. I have no clue when this would have happened in the chronology of the current Batman but it seemed funny in a really creepy surreal way.

"And what exactly brought this on?" Barbara asked, lowering her chin so her glasses slipped onto the edge of her nose.

"Well, see, I got a lead on one of those drug smugglers I was after. Turns out he was the son of some big deal Gothamite. Surprise surprise."

"And that lead you to a college?"

"Yeah, some community college outside the city. Imagine that. There's a drug dealer with long term life goals."

"And…."

"What?"

"Where did _this_ come from?" Barbara Gordon was getting frustrated as she looked at her "captive."

She was holding a crumbled up sheet of lined paper with doodles and notes on it. The doodles were something of a talent of Jason's. They lacked seriousness. Jason "Red Hood" Todd.

How was he suppose to explain that he had tailed the kid to his class and upon hearing the topic of the day found it interesting. Interesting enough to sit in and wait until after the professor was finished to beat the little snot's brains out? He would sound ridiculous.

Well, he better figure out how to explain himself and fast because Barbara was getting pissed.

"It was the class handout." He answered nonchalantly. At Barbara's _gentle_ prodding he added, "Hey, even I have a deep desire to learn." And then smugly he continued, "Its not a characteristic specifically for Golden Boy, the old man, and my replacements."

Barbara felt one eyebrow quirk high in speculation, turning the paper to read the title aloud. "Birth order and The Old Testament?"

She glanced down the page to see doodles of Red Hood shooting Dick/Batman and had to roll her eyes. Sometimes Jason was too obvious. However, this time wasn't exactly the same.

If someone had told her that her day would start with tracking Red Hood down and holding him prisoner in her "home" she would have probably choked on her coffee. It turned out that he had been after a prominent mobster's drug dealing son. That was all fine and dandy if she, and everyone else in the Bat-verse, didn't know what his form of justice was.

The most bizarre thing had been where she had found the dealer and, by direct result, Jason. He had been sitting in the back of a college class, with a piece of paper and pencil, and he was taking notes? Strange.

"Well, see, I knew it for a long time but how that prof explained it just made it clear and it was like WHAM! Right? I totally got what's going on."

"And what is that?" She sat her cane aside. She had used it to prod him for answers. She took her glasses off and rubbed her eyes.

"He's the first born, obviously he feels a greater sense of responsibility to please the parent and therefore become another authority figure in his own right."

Barbara just looked at him as if he'd grown another head. "What?"

"Well, its simple psychology. However, in our family's case nothing is really ever simple now is it?"

"Okay, so this is about Dick again." She sighed.

"Wrong. This is about nature versus nurture."

"Now you've lost me." She groaned.

"This had me thinking. If he's the oldest son but he was the _only_ son for so long he would have a predisposition to being overly obsessed with making the old man happy, especially after all that fallout and me, Tim, and Damian."

It was the pot calling the kettle black for Jason to deem Richard Grayson obsessed with Bruce Wayne…Batman. The linkage between Jason's sudden intrigue with psychology and its linkage to Dick had Barbara feeling an uncomfortable tightness in her stomach.

"Ugh, just say whatever it is that you're thinking Jason." She gave him a steady look.

"Well…Dick is all protective big brother for Tim and Damian is the baby. They're all brothers, moving on without…" Jason paused and changed the path of his thinking. "But the Old Testament is all about the inversion of birth order. The older son being overlooked for the younger. Which made the whole situation between me, Dickie-bird, and Ol' Bruce make sense."

It made sense in the fact that Dick's frustration and hurt over Jason was understandable. Jason knew how Dick felt now with Tim and Damian. Dick had his problems with the situation not Jason himself but had nowhere to place his anger and hurt if Bruce was…well, Bruce. Then, Jason had died and the necessary time for Dick and Jason to become…what they would have eventually been was stripped away. The point of Jason or Dick was unconsequential.

Tim came years after so there was no problem, Dick actually clung to the kid because of a sense of duty he felt to protect Robin and Damian was Bruce's son. Despite everything, Dick cares about Bruce and taking Damian under his wing was a "Dick thing to do." Haha.

"Oh really?" She put her glasses back on and waited for him to continue. It was obvious he wasn't done yet.

"Yeah, but that's not it. Obviously I got whacked so that point is moot. I'm more concerned with the here and now." He wiggled brows that were hidden under a sleek black mask. "Here's the deal." He paused to make sure he had her attention, smiling. "God's all mighty and the authority, mister-don't-ask- because-I-can't-explain, right? _His_ ways aren't _our_ ways?"

Barbara simply waved him on to keep going, reluctant to give him any answer that would go either way.

"God's got this soft spot for people that he deems are his and goes all out of his way to make sure they're okay and taken care of. You could say he likes strays." He cocked his head to the side to make sure she got his point.

"Batman is God?" She questioned indignant.

"Yeah, the way I figure it in this mess. Anyhow, as I was saying, God's so lovey-dovey over these people, the Jews, whatever, he has his physical image made from them. His son. And then he gives his OWN SON up as a sacrifice for these people."

"Jesus, yeah yeah, I know Jason. I did stumble upon a Sunday school class once or twice. What is all this nonsense?" She was impatient. Barbara could only take so much of this strange tangent he seemed fixated on. She really had to get back to her monitors after she got this mess taken care of. Batman and Robin were busy with some guys on the docks and were starting to have trouble.

"Well, I was thinking. If _He_ is really gone its like God has turned his back on us and left us with what's left. He's kinda leaving his son as the sacrifice."

Jason knew very well Bruce wasn't dead and was simply busy with Batman business in the international arena.

"Dick can take care of Gotham, Jason, just not the way you think he should."

"Not the son I meant." Jason tossed his head towards the monitor to motion attention to the moving image of Damian as he fought off a couple Joker goons.

"Once again, Dick can take care of Gotham. He'd never let anything happen to Damian."

"Yeah, you're probably right but what about the Bat. Would he let little Dami go for the love of his favorites? His _people_?"

"Good God, Jason. What is _wrong _with you?" Barbara couldn't keep quiet and controlled anymore.

"A couple crowbar hits too many to the skull I think." He quipped. "But it doesn't change the reality. Is Bruce willing to let Damian die so that Dick can man-up and become a _**real**_ Batman?"

"I'm not even going to answer that question."

"I already know the answer. I'm not stupid but it's a possibility. But I was curious enough to bring it up."

"Don't tell me…." Her eyes grew wide.

"Okay, I won't." He laughed before meeting her shocked gaze with a proud one of his own.

"Those aren't the Joker's men….they're yours?"

"Yeah and they really hate smartasses. I don't know why." He watched as Damian got punched in the face after a particularly rude joke he made at one of the "bad guys."

Then everything seemed to fall into place. The puzzle was easily solved as Barbara spun her wheelchair to look at the screen to show Batman and Robin fighting….no, wait….Batman was out. What had happened?

They were tying up Dick and Damian was actually fine until she saw a guy coming up behind him with a gun. "DAMIAN!" She yelled into the screen as Jason stretched to clap his hands, now loose. He had managed to cut himself free. Even Barbara was fallible.

"Every Batman has become what he is because of loss so more loss equals a better Batman. If Dickie wants to be like Ol'Daddy Bats then he's gonna want to do everything like him right? Well, he has to lose a Robin then."

How had Jason managed this? They had been here for the past two hours and he had been rambling on and on about all this creepy theology crap. Now there was the attack on the docks and he was targeting Damian?

Unless he had already had this planned before…


	2. Forsaken

Forsaken

Unless he had already had this planned before… but found it all the more entertaining with all this mumbo jumbo. It just helped feed his demented obsession with everything Batty.

"Jason, you can't do this!" Barbara argued pointlessly. She turned in her wheelchair to see that he had vanished.

This night was shaping up to be a real hell on earth. She looked back to her monitor to see Damian injured and Dick still unconscious. She needed to do something. Barbara began tracking other vigilantes near by. Hopefully someone would be free to come and help.

At the Docks…

Dick felt his head throb as voices practically screamed around him. He focused and forced his mind to erase the physical pain so he could assess the situation and understand what they were saying.

How long had they been here? It felt like days when in reality it had only been a couple of hours when Dick came to. He saw a big, grimy looking man holding Damian in the air by the cape. Blood was dripping down Damian's side and he was nearly out cold. Dick blinked several times and shifted his body, feeling a sharp pain shoot down his spine and into his right arm. It was nothing serious but it was uncomfortable. He could work with that. He would have to.

"Look at the little broken bird. He's kinda cute when he's not being such a brat." One of the men chuckled as he let Damian fall to the ground in a sickeningly still lump.

"Yeah, I could think of a few other things to call 'im." Another man walked up, rubbing his groin. He had been the one to fire the shot.

What he couldn't work with was what they were doing to Damian. He moved to get up only to realize he was strapped to the crates behind him. He was propped into a sitting position and his ankles were tied together while his shoulders were strapped against the crates and his wrists were bound behind his back. _Great._

Damian pushed himself up to look into the faces of his abusers and spat blood at their shoes. He made a quick flip to get to his feet. Dick was the only one to notice how sluggish and broken his movements were.

_Don''t show off Damian. Just do what's necessary._

"Okay, try a couple of those names and we'll see what happens." Damian grinned as he took a fighting stance.

"Cocky little punk, idn't he?" The men taunted as they closed in.

Later…

Damian was nearly dead and the men were bored with him. He was strong but a couple bullets slowed him down. The first shot had stunned him earlier, body in shock, he had continued to fight on survival mode. They played with him a bit before shooting at him, landing two shots. Damien dropped to the cement ground once again. Dick actually had to fight the urge to turn his head to avoid watching. Dick heard yelling from his communication link in his ear but couldn't place the voice or what was happening while everything stopped except the bullet. Luckily they had both been clean and the bullets went right through. Dick watched as he maneuvered around the wires holding him and working to get free when the men focused on him.

Then out of the dark a third figure came with a glittering gun, masked in the outline of the shadows. Dick felt something like bile rise in his throat. How had a simple mission like taking down a couple low level thugs turned into this?

_Of course they can't actually fight. They're not even real mob muscle. They're little guys. Runners. They use guns for **everything.**_

He opened his mouth to speak when the shooter came out of the shadows to be fully revealed. That last shot hadn't come from either of the men before him now but the third.

"Hello, nice to finally meet you. Well, I suppose we've met before but you weren't in this get up before." Harley Quinn grinned as she rested her ridiculously large gun over her shoulder. She didn't exactly know who he was but she knew he wasn't the original Bat.

"You…you're doing this?" Dick found himself saying aloud despite himself. Luckily he had managed to use his Batman voice.

Harley was suppose to be in Arkham _and_ also rehabilitate. Now she was on about the same level as Catwoman, a.k.a. Selina Kyle, when it came to criminal activity.

"Well, actually, I'm helpin' a friend of Mista Jay's." She smiled brightly. "Or at least that's what he said when he told me to come. Said somethin' like they have a real deep history." She placed a finger to her lip as she thought aloud, looking to the sky. "Or was that **dark** history?" She shook her head and aimed her weapon at Damian.

"Oracle to Batman. Oracle to Batman do you read." A frantic Barbara croaked into the microphone at her cheek.

Dick looked around and nodded. Barbara sighed and pulled up various screens to see Roy Harper. He was busy with Dinah in Star City. Catwoman was with Tim on the other side of town. Then, there was Cassandra and Stephenie. They weren't far away, just at the cultural district. She was about to contact them when her screens went black and then there was nothing but fuzz.

"Sorry, _Babs_." Jason's snarky voice rang in her ear. "But this is personal. A family thing and I think involving other people would just make it awkward." He wasn't considering Cassandra, Stephenie, or even Barbara herself as family involved in this bat mess. Then her headset went dead. He had cut off her connections completely…. But how?

"I'm suppose to keep you busy 'til he comes." Harley grinned. "Whoops, I don't think I was suppose to tell."

Damian moaned as he began to shift on the ground. Dick was assessing the possible damage to his young partner when Harley came over to him and knelt down to grab his face roughly in her gloved hand.

"My, you've gotten small Bats." She laughed, holding her weapon in her other hand.

What was with Harley? She was more hysterical than Dick had ever seen her in any of the years she was with The Joker and that was saying something. She was almost shaking and her eyes were twitching. She was _afraid._

"Gave her some of her own medicine." An all too familiar voice came from the rafters.

Dick looked up to see Red Hood crouching on a crate about twenty feet above his own head. Hood jumped and flipped to land in front of Dick in a graceful dismount. Dick could appreciate Jason's learned skill but also note how sloppy his technique was. He was still the son of acrobats and one strict vigilante after all.

"Well, okay not _her own_ medicine but it's all the same. Scarecrow and Joker teamed up quite a few times and shared goodies. Share and share alike right?" Jason turned to face him. Even with a full helmet on, Dick knew he was grinning.

Harley began to fidget and dropped the gun, crying and grabbing at her face. Jason ordered the other men to take her and "dispose" of her. Jason's appearance would explain the sudden _dis_appearance of a lot of Batman's old rogue gallery. Scarecrow had been off the map for about a week. Two-Face had been found all but dead a couple nights ago when Dick had been on solo patrol. The Joker had been messing around on the docks last night but when Batman and Robin had come tonight there was no sign of him and Joker loved getting Batman's attention even if Dick wasn't the special Batman Joker 'doted' on.

"You did all this?" Stupid question really.

"Surprise bro." Jason spat back as he came over to a now limp Damian and picked him up under the arm to hoist him up.

"What for?"

"I'm curious."

"About what?"

"Who God loves the most."

Dick thought he had heard wrong. Jason's mind could make anyone else crazy trying to figure it out but he had never been religious. Dick blamed his childhood and then The Joker.

"Jesus loves me this I know…" Jason breathed as he looked over Damian's bloody face and torn costume.

"Jason what are you doing?" Dick's voice cracked as he struggled against the wires holding him down. They were loosening little by little.

"You see Dickie I've had a revelation. Isaac loved Esau over his younger son Jacob. Jacob loved Joseph over all of his other sons and he was second youngest. Its not about oldest or youngest. Its about favorites. Parents really shouldn't have favorites and this is why!" Jason shoved his gun into Damian's cheek.

"What is this about, Jason?" Dick's voice rose with panic and rage.

"If Batman had to pick a son who do you think his favorite would be?"

Jason held Damian at eye level. He looked over the boy before letting him down on the ground. The kid could be a small clone of Bruce Wayne. Sure, he wasn't Bruce but he was certainly his biological son. Blood was thicker than water but was it stronger than the parental ties that two people shared? Two people bound because of similar losses, years of close partnership, and familiarity? Was Damian more important to Bruce than the other Robins? Dick.

"You want Bruce to choose one of us? Me and you?" Dick barked.

"I'm not delusional, Dickie-Bird. I'm not even in the running. He doted on me because of pity. He feels guilt now because of it. I was family in name, on paper. You were always his son." For a moment Jason's voice faltered and his body language showed a small glimpse of his emotions that stemmed from his misunderstanding. He had always misconstrued everything that Bruce had done about Jason's murder.

"Then…what is this…?" Dick tried to keep Jason talking, hoping to stall time until Oracle could send help. Or he could be free to handle this himself.

Jason was staring at Damian. Dick felt a twinge of sympathy for Jason but quickly pushed it to the back of his mind as he watched one brother assess the other. Jason had talked about _true_ family. Jason didn't think he was a real son but Dick was. Jason removed Damian's mask.

"This is about Damian?" Dick questioned while he became increasingly worried and impatient.

"JASON!" Dick growled. Jason wasn't responding to him anymore. He was too focused on Damian.

"God approved of Abel's sacrifice but not Cain's. Why do you think that is?"

Dick had no desire to figure out what Jason was yammering about anymore. He wasn't in the mood to play games! Unfortunately, this was just the beginning.

"I'll tell you. Cain gave vegetables and Abel gave a living sacrifice. He spilled blood for his father." Jason sighed, walking around Damian. "Bruce should be proud." Jason kicked at the boy to roll him over.

"What?"

"Damian's a fighter. He's willing to give a lot to get nothing in return. He hasn't even gotten his father's approval or recognition."

"Jason…stop this! If you want to take your aggression out on someone…." Dick pleaded.

Jason turned away from Damian and for a moment Dick felt relief. Jason's obsession with Robins was almost as bad and The Joker's. Ever since Jason had come back from the dead he had gone after every Robin and tortured Bruce with his twisted interpretation of the truth. He talked about being a better Batman but went against everything Bruce and Batman stood for. You can't stand for something while simultaneously tearing it down.

"It should be _you_?" Jason roared. "Always such a martyr. Guess that's why everyone just _loves _you." He laughed. "You know….we both left and came back. Under different circumstances I understand, but that doesn't matter. We changed while we were gone. We're both prodigal sons, but the difference is that in the time we were gone you became Jesus and I became Judas."

"Jason, what do you want? Approval? Acceptance? Help? You have all those things. Let me help you. _He_ isn't here right now. He can't….handle this."

"But being the new Batman _your_ approval is good enough right?" Jason holstered his gun and walked over to Dick and punched him.

"You're right about one thing….we are a lot alike." Dick spit and looked up at Jason.

Jason shoved away from Dick and looked him over as if he were suspicious of Dick when he was the one who had set all this up.

"I was young and needed someone when my parents died. _He_ was there and saved my life. Things changed and I left. We're still not in agreement over a lot of things and then you…"

"Took over?" Jason scoffed.

"I blamed you….resented you…but it wasn't your fault. Just like it isn't Tim's fault or Damian's! If anything Damian's the only one of us that was….born to this. This life isn't easy but we try. We have to be the good guys Jason. We can't just do what we want. We gave up free will a long time ago. You knew the rules when you signed up and killing goes against them." Dick sighed, feeling much older than he was.

"Oh, spare me. You paint yourself as 'imperfect' which makes it all the more disgusting. Just because you were a little pissed with _him_ over me you think you're so terrible. You plead for people. You wanna save everyone despite what they've done and will do. You really _are _golden." Jason got up and paced in front of Dick.

"You're no more all evil than I am all good, Jason….no one is built that way. It's the amount of good over the bad that matters." Dick coerced.

"**Bruce** knew who and what I was. What I've always been. This might've even been in the design of things…..God knows everything."

"He isn't God Jason. He's made mistakes but you aren't one of them….he blames himself for-" But he was cut off by Jason jamming a gun in his mouth and pulling him forward to get close.

"As I am sure he will blame himself for this too."


	3. Washed in the Blood of the Lamb

Washed in the Blood of the Lamb

The lights bored into his eyes as he came to on the cold cement ground. He pushed himself up and knew he shouldn't force himself to his feet right away. The pain was everywhere and all consuming. Anger was the only other sensation he felt. _Jason…_

He looked up and saw his partner in the corner in a puddle of blood. He crawled towards him. They were alone now….

_Minutes earlier..._

Jason pulled the trigger but he was out of ammunition. He laughed as he pulled the gun back and reloaded it. Dick looked up into his masked face and felt his body tense and drain of all feeling. Dick had just managed to get free from the wires and flexed his shoulders to disentangle them. Jason latched a hold of him and tore at Batman's face. Half of Dick's mask was ripped away. One exposed, cold blue eye and a shock of black hair was what filled Jason's vision as he shoved the older man back and aimed his gun.

With this one shot Jason would destroy both Batman and Robin. Batman would be dead and Robin…retired.

"Two birds, one stone. Or two flying things at least." He cocked his head to the side and got to his feet. He stepped back and hesitated about his aim before pulling the trigger.

The bullet caught Dick in the collarbone, just missing his throat. He was silent, mouth falling open as he fell onto his side and began to bleed out. Jason pulled a cell phone from his jacket and hit the call button to redial.

"He has to make a choice, Barbara. He _has_ to." And Jason hung up, knowing he had stayed on long enough for her to track his position and her equipment was now up and running as usual.

Currently…

Damian felt a sickening feeling crawl up his back as he positioned himself beside Dick and propped his body against the crates. He pulled at Dick's cape and pulled him close. He gave Dick's cape a quick tug and he fell into his lap. Damian stared down into his partially masked face and felt something like grief and sadness overcome his soul. Dick's blood stained his hands and the floor. It was everywhere.

_God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son…_ Damian heard the words Jason had ground out before leaving.

He looked down into Dick's face. The question was who was Bruce's begotten son? Sure he was his _biological_ son but Dick was….a Wayne in every other way that mattered.

A movement in the shadows alerted him to a new presence. One booted foot stepped out from the night and Damian looked up to face the man he knew it would be.

"Father." _Batman._

"_Dick_." Bruce was beside them and picking Dick up in one fluid movement.

Damian would have been put off or offended by Bruce Wayne's obvious act of adoration if he didn't feel the same. If he hadn't put Dick in Bruce's place a long time ago. Richard Grayson may not be _The _Batman, Robin, or even Nightwing anymore but he was more than a cape and black mask! He tried to force the doubt he felt about his father away and think clearly. However Bruce felt about Damian didn't matter compared to how Dick was doing at the moment.

"He left a message." Damian stood and followed his father out to another one of the various Bat-vehicles, a small black jet.

"Yes, I know. He left it with Oracle."

"But he also left one with me when he left. It was on Di-Batman's lap. I knew it was for me because he had to have known _Batman_ wouldn't be taking any for you." Damian growled, resentful of his father in more ways than ever before.

"And?" Bruce shot back quickly, feeling he shouldn't have to ask. He thought he should just be told as he placed Dick in the passenger's seat in the jet as the door opened.

"He wants you to choose." Damian muttered as he crawled in the backseat, mindful of Dick's head as he swung his leg in.

"He said as much to Oracle."

"But he gave a time limit. You have until dawn. You save Grayson and choose him as your predecessor or you choose me and become the Batman of Gotham again…"

"I don't have to choose."

"I want you to choose me." Damian answered as he stared out the window.

Bruce was taken off guard, which was not something that happened often. He looked at his youngest and tried to follow the boy's train of thought, filter his emotions.

Damian understood Jason's mentality, which he wasn't certain what that said about him. Maybe they could be kindred spirits due to Talia Al Ghul's influence. Was it just that they were both sons that came directly after "perfection." Jason was Dick's predecessor and Damian was Tim's.

Either way Dick had dealt with Jason's craziness enough. Grayson was talented and skilled but too kind. He would be killed if he allowed this to continue. If Bruce chose Damian he also chose Dick. Dick would be safe and Damian could handle Jason as he saw fit.

"He wants to know who is most important to you. I want you to choose as much as he does. I want you to listen to me and do what is necessary so this does not happen again, Father. Dick will be willing to forgive but I am not. I want you to choose to kill Jason Todd." Damian spoke firmly as he gripped the back of the driver's seat.

Bruce said nothing as he drove them back to the "Batcave" Dick had chosen for the new Batman and Robin. He carried Dick into the house and had Damian make quick calls to both Dr. Leslie Thompkins and Alfred. Damian refused to leave even as Alfred and Leslie started to work on Dick.

They cut his costume off and hooked him up to various machines that Damian knew but couldn't quite remember what the names were. He watched them dig the bullet out and bandage his cuts. Dick was an experienced leader, fighter, athlete, cop, etc. He had been raised as an acrobat and then grew into a vigilante from his intensive training from the age of nine until now. He still trained to enhance his skills. How had he been taken out by one bullet?

Damian had suffered three bullet wounds this night but they had been clean shots and easily amendable once they had returned and Alfred got to him. It was most likely shock that kept Damian awake and with Dick now and not in bed resting.

"Todd." Damian breathed in a rush of fury. He was sitting on the metal dressing table beside Dick and watched him "sleep." Dick wasn't dead but he wasn't really here either. Not yet.

Damian jumped down and stormed out of the cave to find his father poring over a computer screen with camera footage. Oracle's electronic image was in the corner of the monitor and relaying details.

"He had planned for you to show up and watch one of them die…set it up that you only had the choice to pick one. Sound familiar?" Barbara questioned.

"Dick's first major confrontation with Two-Face." Bruce sighed.

"Yes, he's been keeping interesting company again. This time he was knocking off big wig Batman villains from your Rogue Gallery. He's picking up their tricks too. Using the 'see how they like it' method I guess." The image flickered and Barbara's face came into view.

"Yes…his _**Better Batman**_ campaign seems to be going as he planned."

"He wanted a good Batman either way. He either wanted Dick to watch Damian die and become hard and cold like y-how he thinks he should be or have you choose between them and force you to become…." She let her voice trail off.

"More willing to kill." Bruce filled in.

Damian came to the doorway and looked in on his father and Oracle/Barbara talking. Damian walked over to him and slammed the laptop shut.

"He must DIE!" He roared as he stared into his father's eyes, so much like his own.

"Damian." Bruce warned.

"NO! How is Batman suppose to succeed against evil when his former ally is who attempts to condemn him?" Damian backed away from Bruce as he stood and tried to touch his shoulder.

"Batman and Robin stand for something and Red Hood tarnishes that! He blathered on about you being God and SHOT GRAYSON!" Damian glared up at his father, feeling nothing of the intimidation most felt under Bruce's tutelage.

"Yes, Damian, Batman does stand for something and killing isn't it. You can't stand for something while-"

"…while simultaneously tearing it down." Damian finished, having heard Dick relay that message earlier.

"You understand yet you ask me to murder a man?" Bruce looked on his son as if to challenge him.

"There are exceptions to every rule. Extenuating circumstances. This is for the greater good." Damian spat back.

"No. Never with this." _Damian sounds like Talia….like Ra's._

"So you allow him to live so he can do this again?" Damian stepped up to his father and stared up into his face.

"No, I won't allow it."

"But you won't guarantee it won't happen."

Damian didn't even wait for his father's rebuttal. He simply stormed off back to Grayson to stay the night. Someone had to protect him. Dick was his partner. Dick did whatever it took to protect Damian. He _had_ done everything! He had taken Jason on to avoid Damian being killed. Damian knew that and he would repay the favor.

Moments later…

"Alfred?" Bruce asked from his spot in front of his computer in the Batcave.

"Sir….its young Master Damian…he's….gone." Alfred spoke in distress as he came to his master's side.

"When did you notice he was missing?"

"Moments ago sir. He couldn't have gone far." Alfred tried to comfort.

"No….but he didn't have to." Bruce looked up into his giant computer screen. The Oracle logo stared back at him as he replayed the information Barbara had given him earlier. Before Damian's interruption.

Damian hadn't relayed the entire message that Jason had left him. He hadn't given Bruce the location of where Jason would be for them to meet. Oracle had used her systems to track him. He was still using the same cell phone as he had earlier. He probably wanted them to track him. Jason always wanted focus on him so that he could get a point across.

"Well, hiya champ. Gotta say I wasn't expecting you here." Jason greeted as he spotted Damian walking towards him. Jason was without his Hood mask as he stood over his own grave.

They were at the cemetery and it was nearly dawn. Jason let his hand sit on his hip near his gun as he watched Damian pull batarangs from his belt.

"I presume you know of God's wrath?" Damian grinned darkly.

"Yeah, that a woman scorned is worse?" Jason replied.

"No, that certain sins draw him to rage faster than others. One is murder, which you indulge in. One is not honoring thy father, which you don't seem to understand, and another is not to covet."

"Surprise, surprise, the little demon knows his commandments." Jason smiled.

"Yes, and I like the idea of being God's avenging angel you son of a bitch." Damian rushed at Jason, easily getting the upper hand and overpowering him.

They wrestled on the ground for a few short moments before Damian had Jason pinned to the ground with a stiff elbow to his throat.

"You will see I am a more worthy adversary when you don't shoot me in the back first." He seethed as he leaned down into Jason's face and ripped his mask off.

"You're a little badass aren't you?" Jason gasped, wincing.

"You have only just begun to see my skills." He replied and drew a knife from his boot.

"Damian! ENOUGH!" A shout came from behind them as the wind and leaves picked up.

"I will do this if you won't father!" Damian called back.

Bruce came quickly and with some effort disarmed his son and flung Jason away from them. As he often did Bruce pleaded, in his own nonverbal way, for Jason to see reason. Jason practically spat the effort back at him and leaned down to grab his mask.

"You saved the original, chided your youngest, and defend me. My my, its hard to believe you have anything left for poor Tim and the girls." Jason chuckled as he brushed himself off.

"Killing is never the answer but Damian is right about one thing. I can no longer allow you to simply get away with what you've done. Even out of guilt and responsibility." Bruce's Batvoice rumbled in the cool air.

"You won't shoot me but you can't let me go? So what then?"

With that Bruce launched himself at Jason and dropped him to the ground, dragging his arms behind him and binding his wrists and rooting the wires to the ground. He did the same with his legs and ankles.

"No, Jason, I've called the Commissioner. They won't recognize you and you won't talk."

They both knew Bruce was right about both points.

"I never wanted any of this Jason. I won't excuse myself nor will I continue to defend you out of guilt. I may have put you on this path but you have chosen to bury yourself so deeply in your vendetta that you no longer see the line between myself and….every other enemy you deem worthy of your attention."

With that Bruce stood and walked back to Damian, placing a hand on his shoulder and pushing him toward to Batmobile. He knew the night wasn't over but he wouldn't speak anymore of this tonight. He was tired and even God had a day of rest.

2 Days Later…

Dick sat propped amongst several pillows in his old room at the Manor. Alfred had been rather convincing about Damian and Dick both staying until they were on the mend. Bruce was in town for a couple of days anyway and things needed to be settled. While Dick needed no explanations from Bruce he knew Damian still did but they never saw eye to eye.

"Pennyworth said you wanted to talk. I assume you're well if you can ramble on again."

"I hurt all over if that's what you mean. Then again I guess I should take that as I good sign." He sighed and winced as he shifted to face Damian. "I'm definitely _not_ dead."

Damian didn't seem to think that last comment was funny. Dick decided to get to the subject at hand. He actually took it upon himself to be the mediator. He had to appease both Bruce and Damian by interpreting emotions and feelings of each.

Damian came into the room and stood by his bedside. Dick smiled and readied himself to lecture, patting the bed beside him for Damian to sit.

"I know you don't agree with Bruce and I understand. Really I do. But you have to understand where he's coming from too. You see, Batman is against killing because..?"

"We can't ever cross that line. It makes us criminals."

"Yes and especially with guns." Dick didn't think he needed to remind either of them why.

"Damian…this is probably going to come out sounding stupid and I know you think I'm…_soft_." Dick smiled brightly before continuing.

He had already convinced Bruce, Barbara, and Alfred that he was up to this. He wasn't too tired and he was starting to feel better after a couple days of forced bed rest.

"But I believe a few things in this world being definite. I have a lot of faith in those things. I believe there is real good in the world. Friends are family. Love is important. Batman always wins in the end. And…God loves everyone."

At Damian's confused look, which had been a look of boredom, Dick laughed and went on.

"God loved the _world_ Damian and gave up something very important to him to save it. He did it for the knowing that Jesus understood. Bruce may not be God but…the greater good always comes first. He can't ever kill anyone Damian because that would change everything. The focus is that we have to keep ourselves alive to save more people. We save, never kill. Then when we can no longer fight another takes our place. It isn't about favorites or who was more important. Its about the mission we serve, the plan for our lives. In the end….we're all God's chosen." Dick ruffled Damian's hair and sent him off.

Damian stopped at the door and rested his hand on the doorframe as he turned to look over Dick. Dick was completely at peace. He was staring out his bedroom window at the moon and smiling?

"Grayson?"

"Yes, Dami?"

"I'm glad you're not seriously wounded. It would have been…inconvenient to have you out for too long."

"Thank you, Damian. I'm glad you're okay too."

"Yes, well…." He looked awkwardly to the floor.

"Can you do me a favor?"

"Yes."

"Read the New Testament. It's a lot less depressing than the Old Testament." Dick laughed and once again Damian found Dick's personality and attitude astounding.

_The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want._

Bruce loves all his children equally if not in completely different ways. Even if Dick is the oldest and most influential (and my favorite ) I do believe he would be destroyed no matter which son had been at the Joker's hand. He guides his kids with firm, though loving, hands to keep them from failing. Imagine Bruce as a shepherd and then the scripture TOTALLY makes sense :P


End file.
